Asparagus with Avocado-Cashew Hummus

Spring has sprung, and the asparagus is popping up in the garden. Here's a delightful recipe for asparagus, steamed and dressed with an elegant avocado-cashew hummus. Bursting with tangy citrus flavour and the nip of fresh ginger, this nutrient-dense vegetable dish is a winner. My lunch guest called it, "A Spring thing that was worth waiting for all winter!"

You'll Need: 1 bunch asparagus; 1 bunch fresh parsley; 1/3 cup raw cashews; 1 orange; 1/2 lemon;  small piece of ginger root; 1 teaspoon tamari sauce; 1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder; water. Hemp hearts for garnishing. Method: Soak cashews in fresh water for 1 hour to plump and soften.

 

Wash asparagus and snap tough end from stalks. Steam lightly. Set aside to cool. Chill in the refrigerator if desired.

Drain cashews. Chop ginger root into small pieces. Juice 1/2 lemon and orange and add to blender with cashews, ginger, cayenne powder, and 1 teaspoon tamari.

Blend cashews and citrus juices until thick and smooth. Remove stalks from parsley and separate leaves. Set 1 tablespoon aside for garnish. Pit and peel avocado, and put into blender with parsley. Blend, adding small amounts of water until the mixture is the consistency thick hummus. Chill until serving time.

To Serve: Arrange chilled asparagus on a plate. Spread some cashew-avocado hummus on top, and place remainder in a small bowl. Sprinkle both bowl and plate with hemp hearts and reserved parsley. Serve with a grain like millet or rice for a light but healthy lunch, or enjoy over toast as an unusual brunch item.

For thoughts about food and the art of cooking, visit zen-cuisine -- a blog about the art of mindful cooking.

Energy Soup! Red Kale Broth with Mango-Ginger Puree

This tasty soup is truly a marvelous "meal-in-a-bowl". It's an energy soup packed with nutrition. Vitamins, minerals, and protein blend in a flavourful combination of red kale, mandarin orange, cucumber, mango, ginger root and sunflower plus pumpkin seeds. An eye-catching dish, the red kale broth is swirled with tropical mango-ginger puree, and topped with crunchy green pepper and nutty hemp hearts. Try this soup at lunchtime, and notice your sustained, even energy over the course of the afternoon. You'll like the well-being generated by this "serve-at-room-temperature blender/food processor" recipe that's quick and easy to make, and a delight to enjoy.

You'll need:

For Red Kale Broth:

6-10 stalks of red kale; 1 cucumber; 1 mandarin orange; 1/2 cup sunflower seeds, soaked 2 hours; 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, soaked 2 hours; 1/4 cup water; salt

For Mango-Ginger Puree:

1 small golden mango; 1 inch piece of ginger root; 1 teaspoon curry powder; 1/2 teaspoon turmeric; salt

For Garnish: Green pepper; hemp hearts

Method:

For Red Kale Broth: Wash kale and remove leaves in small pieces from center stalk. Set stalks aside for another use. Lightly salt kale leaves with pink Himalayan sea salt. 

Peel cucumber and chop into sections; peel and section mandarin, removing any visible seeds from orange.

Put 1/4 cup of water in the blender, add soaked, drained sunflower and pumpkin seeds. Blend into a thick puree. Add kale by the handful, alternating with cucumber chunks and mandarin orange pieces. Blend until thick and smooth.

Pour a generous amount of red kale broth into individual serving bowls. Cover and set aside at room temperature.

For Mango-Ginger Puree:

Peel and pit mango. Cut into large pieces. Chop ginger root into chunks. Put mango and ginger into blender with 1 teaspoon curry powder, and 1/2 teaspoon turmeric. Puree until smooth and silky. Slice thin slivers of green pepper for garnish.

Pour mango-ginger puree on top of red kale broth, swirling it into a pattern.

Place thin green pepper slices in center of bowl on top of puree. Dust with hemp hearts and serve. Enjoy this energy soup with crackers or crusty rolls. At my house, it was served with a small plate of rice-stuffed grape leaves, and baba ganoush!

For thoughts about food, visit zen-cuisine

Slater Street Spinach Pakora

Spinach Pakora, Slater Street style, are a great savory. Easy to make, quick to fry, even quicker to disappear at the dinner table. Pakora are served with a tomato-mint yoghurt, or your favorite chutney. They can be eaten as either a tasty snack, or a filling side dish to accompany an Indian-inspired meal. Make them spicy to perk up the finickiest appetite! 

You'll need: For Pakora: 1 bunch spinach; 1 large onion; 3 small sweet peppers; 2 cloves garlic; 3 slices ginger root; 1 - 1.5 cups chick pea flour; 1 tablespoon curry powder; 1 teaspoon turmeric; 1/2 teaspoon chili powder; 1/2 teaspoon sugar; 1/4 teaspoon salt; oil for frying. For Mint-Tomato Yoghurt:

Mint leaves; 1 tomato; 1/2 teaspoon each: cumin, allspice, ground coriander, ground cloves, salt, cayenne pepper to taste; 1/4 cup thick plain yoghurt.

Method:

Peel onion and cut into large chunks. Remove stem end, seed and coarsely chop peppers; peel and chop garlic. Place vegetables in food processor with ginger root slices, and process 1 - 2 minutes until vegetables are in fine pieces. Wash spinach, add to processor and pulse two or three times until shredded and blended into mixture. 

 Put chopped vegetables in a large bowl with spices, sugar, and salt. Add chick pea flour and mix well. Shape mixture into small patties. Heat a generous amount of oil (I used 1/4 cup of grape seed oil) in a deep frying pan at a medium temperature. Do not let oil get too hot.

Add pakora patties a few at a time. Fry until golden to dark brown, turning once to cook evenly on both sides. Drain on absorbent paper, and keep warm until serving time. 

To Serve: Enjoy these delicacies with your favorite chutney or sauce.

To make the tomato-mint yoghurt, place 1 tablespoon of lightly chopped mint leaves, 1 diced tomato and 1/2 teaspoon cumin; 1/2 teaspoon allspice; 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander; 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves; salt and cayenne pepper to taste in a small bowl. Stir in 1/4 cup plain thick yoghurt, and let flavours marry for a short while before serving. 

For thoughts about mindful cooking, visit zen-cuisine:  a blog about food and the art of cooking.
 

Spicy Peanut Green Bean Wrap

What's for lunch? Easy-to-prepare spicy peanut and green bean wraps! These tasty tortillas are filled to bursting with flavourful green beans and sunflower seeds in a mouth-watering peanut butter and habanero chili tomato sauce. Rolled, warmed, and sprinkled with hemp hearts and freshly chopped parsley, they satisfy the heartiest of appetites while energizing the body with healthy, easily digested protein. A dish to heat up any mealtime.

You'll Need:

Fresh green beans, about 1 lb.; 1 red onion; 2 cloves garlic; 2 large, ripe tomatoes; 1 very small dried habanero chili; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 tablespoon tamari; 2 tablespoons warm water; 2 tablespoons organic crunchy peanut butter; 1/4 cup soaked sunflower seeds; 1/4 cup freshly chopped basil; 1/4 freshly chopped Italian flat leaf parsley; sea salt; 2 tablespoons hemp hearts; tortilla or wraps (I used gluten-free rice tortillas).

Method:

Wash green beans and remove any stem pieces, leaving the tails intact. Dice red onion, chop garlic into small pieces,and crush habanero pepper. Heat olive oil gently in a large saucepan. Add diced red onions and cook until soft and translucent. Add garlic and cook until it begins to soften. 

Stir in peanut butter and water. Cook, stirring gently until peanut butter melts. and forms a thick sauce. Add tamari; stir until blended in. Add green beans and toss to coat with peanut sauce. Cover sauce pan and cook over low heat for 2-3 minutes. Dice 1 tomato and chop the basil, and and to saucepan. Gently stir into green bean mixture. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender-crisp. 

Chop the flat leaf parsley. Dice remaining tomato. Set 1 teaspoon of hemp hearts aside, and toss remainder tomato, parsley, and a little sea salt. Remove green beans from heat. Let cool slightly, and stir in sunflower seeds.

Place a generous portion of mixture on a tortilla. (Reserve 1 teaspoon bean mixture of each wrap) Add some of the tomato-parsley salsa along top of green bean filling Roll tortilla and place in an oven-proof dish and cover.

Place dish in a warm oven for 2-3 minutes until tortillas are heated through.

Remove dish from oven. Sprinkle with remaining hemp hearts and chopped parsley.

To Serve:
These chewy tortilla wraps with crunchy peanut green bean filling make a great meal served on their own.
Paired with a crisp lettuce salad, and/or a cup of creamy butternut squash soup, they are a causal but satisfying dinner.

Enjoy this intriguing spicy peanut flavour,

For thoughts about food and the art of mindful cooking, visit my zen-cuisine blog at http://zen-cuisine.blogspot.com/

Cauliflower "Popcorn"

The delightful crunch and taste of "cauliflower popcorn" can be enjoyed  as an intriguing side dish or as an awesome evening snack. Cauliflower is composed of tiny  bunches of florets on multi-branched stalks.With the exception of a little prep work to separate the head into pieces, the recipe is quick and easy to make. Roasted until tender and slightly caramelized, this cauliflower's savory flavour compliments any meal. When the dish is oven-baked until crisp and well-done, it's a different, but delicious 'finger food'. We've enjoyed it instead of regular popcorn on 'home movie night'. Cauliflower popcorn is rich in nutrients, especially Vitamins A and C, and is an excellent source of iron, potassium, and zinc. Try this new way to eat a familiar but always interesting vegetable!

You'll Need: 1 large cauliflower; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 teaspoon turmeric powder; 1/2 teaspoon sea salt; 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper; 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper ; 1/4 additional sea salt (optional).

Method: Break cauliflower florets into small bite-size pieces to resemble popcorn. Place in a large bowl. You can use a small knife to separate the cauliflower, but clean fingers are much faster.

Whisk olive oil, salt, pepper and turmeric together. For flavoured popcorn, add 1 teaspoon of your favorite herbs or spices such as Italian blend seasoning, ground cumin and coriander, curry powder, etc.

Pour olive oil mixture over cauliflower pieces, and mix until florets are thoroughly coated with marinade. (Impeccably clean hands are usually the best 'kitchen tool' for doing this task)

When cauliflower is evenly coated with olive oil mixture, spread on a baking sheet. Roast in a hot oven at 425 degrees for 40 - 60 minutes until done. Using an oven-proof spatula, turn the cauliflower pieces several times while roasting.

For a side dish, bake for 30 - 40 minutes until tender and glossy and cauliflower is just beginning to caramelize. Sprinkle with a little salt and black pepper, and serve hot or cold.

For "cauliflower popcorn" snack food, roast for 50 - 60 minutes or until cauliflower is well-caramelized, slightly browned and crisp. Sprinkle with a little additional sea salt and black pepper. Eat when cool enough to handle with your fingers, or let cool completely. Enjoy!

Thinking about what you think about in the kitchen? Check out zen-cuisine a blog about mindful cooking!

Cucumber and Arugula Quinoa Salad

This "Cucumber and Arugula Quinoa Salad" is not only delicious and easy to digest but also contains a wealth of valuable nutrients for a healthy balanced meal. Tender, piquant arugula and crisp juicy cucumber are tossed with sprouted quinoa marinaded in a tangy orange-lime maple dressing. Sprout the grain a day or so before preparing the salad. It's a great way to introduce meal-time guests to the wonderful taste and texture of quinoa, a true superfood.

Quinoa is an ancient grain making a comeback in modern cuisine. It is actually a starchy seed, bursting with nutrition. A native of South America, quinoa is one of the few alkaline grains. It is a powerhouse of goodness with an exceptionally high protein and calcium content. The seeds sprout quickly, and are wonderful in salads. It is easy to digest and rich in Vitamin B, iron, phosphorous and Vitamin E. Quinoa contains 36% soluble fiber and 64% in-soluble fiber.

To sprout quinoa: Place seeds in a wire sieve and rinse thoroughly under running water until water is clear. Place in a small container and cover with 2 times the amount of water. Soak for 2 hours. Rinse and drain. Put quinoa in a covered container, place in fridge and let quinoa sprout for 24-48 hours. Rinse and use in recipes.

You'll need:  

For the Salad Dressing:

1 large orange; 1/2 lime; 2 slices ginger root; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 2 teaspoons maple syrup; 2 teaspoons cumin powder; 1 teaspoon coriander powder; 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne; 1/4 teaspoon sea salt.

Method: Peel the orange and lime, cut into sections and place in blender with olive oil, maple syrup, cumin, coriander, cayenne powder and sea salt. Whirl until smooth. Pour into a large serving bowl. Fold in sprouted quinoa, cover and marinate for 1/2 - 1 hour.

You'll Need:

For Salad:

1 bunch fresh arugula; 1 small cucumber.

For Garnishing: 1 - 2 tablespoons of hemp hearts for garnish; 1 piece of lime and orange peel, cut into long , thin strips.

Wash arugula, pat dry and coarsely slice into bite-size pieces. Peel and dice cucumber. Add to quinoa and mix well to incorporate into dressing.

Dust salad with a generous amount of hemp hearts, and place a few thin strips of orange and lime peel on top. Serve with crusty rolls for a lovely, light but satisfyingly-nutritious lunch. 

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a blog about mindfulness in the kitchen

Gluten-Free Vegan Blueberry Pancakes

Sunday morning is always a great time to linger over the breakfast table, savouring a stack of pancakes. Filled with pump fresh blueberries, and drizzled with a generous helping of Canadian maple syrup, these delicious pancakes are gluten-free,dairy-free, and egg-free-- a perfect meal for people with food sensitivities, or for those who have chosen to enjoy a vegan lifestyle. Gluten-free cooking is considered 'tricky' by some, but this recipe and a few simple cooking tips make these pancakes a pleasure to prepare and to eat. My breakfast companion's only comment was "Mmmm..." He was too busy eating to say anything else!

 You'll need: 1 cup almond milk; 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted; 1 tablespoon ground flax seed; 2 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder; 2 tablespoons agave syrup; 3/4 teaspoon Xanthan Gum; 1/4 teaspoon sea salt (optional); 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg or allspice; 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries; 2 cups all purpose gluten-free flour (I use a mixture of almond meal, brown rice, sorghum, tapioca and potato flours. Bob’s Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten Free Mix is a popular ready-mixed product but contains bean flours which some people find difficult to digest.) For Frying: about 2 tablespoons of coconut oil. To Garnish: Maple syrup; blueberries.

 

Method: Combine flours to make 2 cups, sift and mix together in a large bowl with 1 tablespoon ground flax seed, 2 teaspoons baking powder; 1 teaspoon nutmeg or allspice, 3/4 teaspoon Xanthan Gum, and 1/4 teaspoon sea salt.

Rinse 1 cup of fresh blueberries and pat dry. Set 1 -2 tablespoons aside for garnish. Add berries to flour mix and gently fold in to cover with flour. If using frozen berries, add them directly from freezer without thawing. 

Gently warm 1 cup of almond milk with 2 tablespoons of coconut oil, and 2 tablespoons agave syrup. Heat only until oil melts.

 
Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in almond milk-oil mixture. Stir lightly until liquid is incorporated into a thick batter. Add a little more almond milk if necessary. The mixture will be very thick and will not pour like regular pancake batter.

Put about 1 tablespoon of coconut oil in a saucer for smoothing batter with spatula while cooking pancakes. Place a small amount of coconut oil (about 1/2 teaspoon) in a frying pan over low heat. Scoop out a portion of batter to make the size of pancake you want.

Dip a spatula in coconut oil. Flatten and round-out the batter to desired the size and thickness. Using the underside of the spatula, spread the top of the pancake with a little coconut oil.  

As the pancake is cooking, gently loosen each side a few times to prevent sticking. Make certain none of the pancake adheres to the pan before flipping. (This step is key to successfully cooking gluten-free pancakes)

Turn the pancake over and cook on the second side. The coconut oil on the surface will facilitate even frying. Gluten-free flours take a little longer to cook, and patience is well-rewarded during this process.

Place pancakes in a warm oven until the whole batch is ready to eat.

To Serve: At the table, invite guests to stack pancakes on their plate, drizzling  maple syrup between each layer. Place a handful of fresh berries on the top and finish with a generous pour of syrup. Enjoy!

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